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(11) | EP 1 217 787 A3 |
| (12) | EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION |
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| (54) | Media manager for controlling autonomous media devices within a network environment |
| (57) A media manager provides data flow management and other services for client applications
on devices coupled together within a network. Preferably, these devices are coupled
together within an IEEE 1394-1995 serial bus network. A device control module is generated
for each available device for providing an abstraction for all of the capabilities
and requirements of the device including the appropriate control protocol, physical
connections and connection capabilities for the device. The media manager also manages
the flow and format of data transfers between the devices on the network. Through
an interface, a user accesses the media manager and enters functions which are to
be completed using the devices coupled together on the network. If the appropriate
devices are available, the media manager controls and manages the completion of the
requested task. If the appropriate devices are not available, but the required subdevices
are available in multiple devices, the media manager forms a virtual device from subdevices
in multiple devices in order to complete the requested task. Once the appropriate
devices and subdevices are assigned to a task, the media manager determines if the
data to be transmitted needs to be converted from one format into another format.
If necessary, the media manager will also control the format conversion during the
data transfer operation. The media manager also provides network enumeration and registry
searching capabilities for client applications to find available services, physical
devices and virtual devices.
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